Improvement in water-wheels



' Mtime@ Saw am @uw Be it knownthat I,A`.` WL LLOYD, `in the countyFof Berkshire, and State of Massachusetts`,h`ave invented a newand useful Improvement l inWater-Wheels; and I dohereby declare that the i'ol`- lowing is a full, clea'r, andexnct desei'fiption,` tlu-neot,l `which will enable others lskilledin the" art to make and use the same, ,reference `being had to the ac- Q Figure 2 represcntsa l the line a: x of iig. 1. and

.y ryA'LLQYD, or "NoRTH4 'ADAMS- MASSAcHUSnTrS.

`Letters PateatNo. 97 ,658, dated December 7, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

The"Scheulereferredrto in `these Letters Patent and makingpart of the same.

Toallauhma @imag/concern: a l l of North Adams,

companying drawings, `forming `part of this specica- `tion.

This invention relatesato improvement iu waterwheels, such as are usedfw'itlr a draught-tube; and

` `has `for its object to provide certain improvements in the construction` .of the same; also, adraught-regulating apparatus,for keepingr the `draught-tube full of v "witten-whether `running or not, to compensate for the p 1` loss of water in lthe said tube, by reason of leaking and i accumulation of air thereimset free from the water,

` which lowersthe level ofthe water therein, and, con

sequently, the eiiiciency of thewheel. l

'.Figure l represents an cndfelevation of my` improved l wheeh` partly sectioned, 4also a section of regulating apparatus;

the i draughtsection of I Figure 3 represents` a planview.` p g Similar lletters of reference indicate corresponding parts. H l p ,y I

A represents the buckets,`which are cnrvedvsimilarly tothose o f other wheels, receiving `tlxe water at the centre, `znuljdischfai ing it at theE periphery. p 'lhey are supportedfupon `the arms B (see fig. 2,. Sheet 11,) of thelsliaft C, at about the centre oftheir length, `and work betweengtlieexterior case D and the `interior cases ,'19,mzuleliseparately,and fitted iii-'from` `each end of` the l exterior case` I), and connected therei to by the anges l?, which -form `the end casings for V `the wheel,` thesaid` llzuigcsfl'ieing lit-ted and bolted to` the end ofthe said'case` D, 'lhe buckets,aredesigned tobeturned off witlr xactness on the beth edgesVto V; dit as "closely as possible between these cases, atpthe place where the actionkof the 'water takes place.

` "lhecasesE arer'ecesscd from theends inward, the` i :said reeesses-extemling"to the arms Bof; the wheel, f

where H represents the bottom walls thereof, to which sleeves -I arefprovidedfor the shaft, projecting outward,and supported at the ends of thefcase by radial braces K; v Suitable packing is interposed at the outer Vends of the/sleeves, thereby preventing water passing through them into theinterior ofthe eases.

A"L represents the suction-tube. C

t M representsithe gates,`which are curved sections fof `the inner casings, hinged at N, and swinging to-` ward the Acentre of'pthcwliecl, when opening, to admit the wateren-theinner-e ges of the bueketsfrom the' recesses in the said interior cases.

thewheel, taken on l rock-arms, Q, one in each'recess, having at their outer wheels, S, on 4a rock-shaft, T, above` the case, and provided with an operating-arm, U, to be worked in any suitable way, for opening and closing the gates,

.water over the case, as shown atv Z, and lthen down through the conduits X to the spacesvY, under the `lowel` parts of the interior cases, which are here raised to provide' the said spaces, as shown at X.

.This wheel is immersed 1u the water of` the Hume,

which the draught-tube projects below," The water passes ,in from the recesses in the ends, through' the gates M, and acts upon the buckets.

tainedin the bucket-spacatogether with the air-'set freef lfrom the water, which,V being lighter than -the `water, and exposed to the ldraught upward through .the said air-passages. will,V at 'the moment the water enters at the gates, be taken up, leaving the water more compactand eeetive while in action on the buckets. The greater partV of this air so received is given up again vto the water-wheel, at the space Y,

tent, passes ol with the water; but Iit basa tendency toremain in the spaces formed between the buckets, thus taking theA place of the water, and preventing the wheel from exercising its full measure of efiiciency. It isn'ecessary, in order to obtain the best results, that `no air7space be left or formed in the/wheel or draught-tube L stub-from various causes, th e draught tube will alway leak moreor less, whereby the waterlevel in it is reduced, and the space filled with air.

I. have, therefore, in connection with tlsarrangcment for receiving the air, providedan automaticairescape and water-supplying apparatus, for takingthe air away, and filling the draught to the required extent, to compensate for the said leakages and accumu lations of air, the said apparatus being as follows:

`A hollow tank, A', is immersed in the water in the thune, bytheside of the `wheel, and resting on the iloor thereof, and having a pipe-connection, B', with' Vthe draught-tube below the wheel, also an airpipe connection," GLwith the wheel, a short distance above the discharge.

ber, D', in the bottom of the vessel A', lwherein is a vThey areeonnected by links O to arms P, by short ends sector-wheels, 1t, gearing with other similar V represents air-passages, attac`1ed to the exterior.

The `said passages are arranged so asto rise considerably, or 4at least a little above the level of the as shown in fi". 1resting on the bottom, through- ."'lhe office of the air-tubes is to receive the air conf `above the `discharge from the wheel, and, to some eX- Both of these connections openinto a iloatcham-` float, E', arranged to open or close an air-valve, F', leading into the vertical tube G', at the 'top of which is a valve, H', opening upward.

From the float-chamber D another passage, I', leads to the space above, also provided with a valve, K1, opening upward, and connected by a rod, K2, to the valve H.

This rod is connected, by a lilik, L', to a lever, M', pivoted at its centre, and connected at the other end by a link, N', to the valve O,lat the top of the tank.

rlhe said valve O' is provided with any suitable Ineans for operating it, and is raised from time to time to allow it to ill with water, after which it is closed.

By the act of closing it, the valves H and K1 are opened, and the water will iiow through the passage l' into the draught-tube L, filling until the water rises in the Heat-chamber, on a level with the bottom of the wheel, raising the oat suiciently to close the valve F. While the said float is down, and the water iiowing into the draught-tube, the air is escaping from the wheel, through the tubes C' and G', to the space above theavater in the tank, since the valves F' and H are then open, when the water in the draught-tube rises, so as to set back in the floatfchamber, forcing the fioat E' upward, and thus closing the valve F', and preventing the further flow of water from the tank, by preventing the passage of the air, through the pipe G',

y into the upper portion of the same.

This apparatus acts equally, whether the wheel be running or not, and adds materially to the eiiiciency of the saine, especially when being set in motion, for,

owing to the leaks, which cannot practically be wholly prevented, the water would run out of thc draughttube entirely, when the wheel stands a long time, and would require the tube to be filled, or nearly so, ne- 'ore it would have power to set any considerable amount of machinery in motion.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentl., The combination, with the wheel, constructed as described, and the exterior ease D, of the interior cases E, made in two recessed parts, and provided with gates M, operating substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the wheel and case D, of the air-conducting tubes or passages V, when arranged substantially as specied.

3. The combination, lwith the water-wheel, arranged for operation substantially as herein described, of a water-regulating device, for governing the level of the water in the draughttube, consisting of passage-I', valves Kl H O', substantially as herein shown and specified.

4. The combination, with the vessel A', connected to the wheel-case and draught-tube, of the oat E', air-tube G', valve F', water-tube Il', valves K, H', and O', when arranged for operation substantially as specified.

A. W. LLOYD. Witnesses 'SYDNEY E. RIDER, IROBERT A. PHILLIPS. 

